Visions

"Visions"

James sat down at his desk and began the daily ritual that had gone on
for more than half of his eighty years. He had made it a rule to jot
down his thoughts in a journal every day, and had never missed doing
just that since making that promise to himself. Sometimes he wrote a
few lines, other times a few pages but he always wrote something for
the day.

He opened his journal slowly while pondering on what to write. As
always, he began of course with the date, "August 18th 1999" and then
just let his pen take him over. "I have a vision," he wrote. "A vision
I want to share with every man, woman and child. A vision I want to
share with every race, colour or creed." James knew he used clich?s but
only he ever read his journals so it made little difference to him. He
continued, "I know this vision will never become reality, but while
it's a part of my imagination - it's my reality." He looked up from his
writing and stared at the walls searching for inspiration.

"Utopia does exist"; he scribbled down feverishly, "where people live
in peace and harmony. It exists in each and every one of us as
individuals, but not the whole - and there lies the problem. We have
the power to control our destiny but others take over that control;
politicians and leaders, as they have done over the whole of history."
He continued scribbling down his thoughts as fast as they came. "They
invade our mental territory, delve into our very souls and eat away at
our faith like a parasitic worm!"

It was fitting that at the very moment he finished that sentence, his
electric desk lamp flickered and darkness descended on the room. It was
almost as if it symbolised the darkness that would continue and there
was no light at the end of the ' visionary tunnel '.

In spite of the dullness he finished his writing with one final
thought. "I have a vision", he wrote again, "but the vision will never
become reality because life is a science, and I, just like every other
being, am a laboratory rat!"

Phil Pye

Copyright 1999, Phil Pye
All rights reserved.